Fighting child premature deaths in top gear

MAUREEN ODUNGA

THE Government is committed to roll out treatment guidelines, including the Kangaroo mother care approach in its district and regional hospitals to fight newborn deaths resulting from premature deliveries which currently stands at 27 per cent.

Kangaroo mother care is a method of care of preterm infants. The method involves infants being carried, usually by the mother, with skin-to-skin contact.

A Representative from the Preventive Service Unit of the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children (MoHCDGEC), Dr. Janeth Mhgamba revealed this during the commemoration of the World Prematurity day which was marked at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) in Dar es Salaam yesterday.

“Based on the magnitude of the problem, we are committed to see no more premature baby dies for lack of proper healthcare as highlighted in our 2030 strategic plan to overcome this problem,” said Dr Mhgamba.

Such initiatives, Dr Mhgamba said, include creating an enabling environment to enable mothers make good use of the treatment guidelines in caring for premature babies. Among other factors highlighted include reducing bacterial infections through well managed hygiene while caring for premature babies.

“We aim to strengthen the kangaroo mother care services throughout the country and encourage appropriate treatment to strengthen lungs for the premature baby through surfactant treatment,” she noted.

Delivering a speech on behalf of MNH Executive Director, Professor Lawrence Museru, the Director of Medical Services, Dr Hedwiga Swai noted that statistics indicate that 13 per cent of newborn babies were born underweight, resulting to 86 per cent newborn deaths.

Dr Swai further pointed out that 27 per cent of the deaths were caused by prematurity of newborn babies weighing from 500 grams to 1.5 Kg.

“The number of babies born at the premature unit at MNH in the year 2016/17 were 7,372, out of which 2,313 were born prematurely, which is equivalent to 31.4 per cent During the same year, premature mortality rate was at 543, which is estimated at 7.4 per cent as compared to 19.8 per cent in the previous year,” observed Dr Swai.

She also said that the number of premature babies admitted at Kangaroo Mother Care Unit stood at 483 for the year 2016/17 compared to 399 of the previous year, indicating that the number has risen.

Among notable achievements include construction of another newborn ward and refurbishment of the former one to provide service to as many children as possible. She added that the hospital anticipates to launch a special Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) soon to ease congestion at the Pediatric Ward.

Meanwhile, the MoHCDGEC Permanent Secretary, Dr Ulisubisya Mpoki received training equipment for Emergency Obstetric and New born Care and key programme documents of the Improved Maternal Child Health Programme funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through the technical support of GIZ.

Dr Mpoki noted that the need to invest adequately in newborn babies’ health service delivery should not only include standardised care but quality care to sustain the lives of newborn babies in the country.

“The efforts put by the government are geared towards arriving to such interventions…we have the capacity but the problem is on equipment,” said Dr Mpoki. He pledged to incorporate the guideline into government programmes in seeking a solution to the scourge.